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Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Chicken Stroganoff

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...When you travel with a group of strangers, you quickly learn about food preferences and the group's tolerance for new foods or flavors. Most people are adventurous, but I will never forget one traveler who quite unwittingly left me flabbergasted. I nearly choked when she complained, in tones far from sotto voce, that they served too much Chinese food in China. We were, of course, at a banquet in China, and whether your instinct is to laugh or cry, it was, pure and simple, one of life's "died and gone to heaven" moments. When we were in India, the people who planned our meals worked really hard to see that wouldn't happen. Western food was always included in the menu and the one dish that appeared every evening was Chicken Stroganoff. It apparently was viewed as a dish that would please both Eastern and Western sensibilities. Now, Beef Stroganoff was an enormously popular dish in the 60's and 70's, and most of us who cooked and entertained during that time had enough of it back then to last a lifetime. For that reason, I queued patiently for the exotic curries, daals and the gorgeous breads that are the hallmarks of the Indian table. There were, however, people who preferred the stroganoff and more Western fare. The Silver Fox liked the stroganoff, so once we were home I decided to make a version of it that we could both enjoy and that I could use in a pinch when had unexpected company. This is a 30 minute meal that is suitable for family, close friends and very informal gatherings. It won't make your reputation as a cook, neither will it break it. It is very easy to make and the only caution I have to share with you regards the sauce. If you make it with sour cream don't let it boil. It will curdle. I serve this dish with buttered parsley noodles or rice. Like all beige dishes, it cries for a side of bright green or red vegetables. This makes a nice meal. Those of you who try it will be pleased. Here's the recipe.

Directions:
1) Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Heat oil and butter in large saucepan over medium heat until it shimmers. Add shallots and cook, stirring, until they're a light golden color, about 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook until softened. Turn heat to medium-high, add the chicken pieces, and cook, stirring, until golden on the outside and almost cooked through, about 5 minutes. Transfer mixture to a plate.
2) Return pan to burner. Turn heat to high and pour in Marsala, scraping brown bits from bottom of pan with a wooden spoon. Boil until liquid is reduced by half, about 1 minute. Add chicken stock, stir, boil until the liquid begins to look syrupy, about 2 minutes. Reduce the heat and pour any juices that have accumulated on the plate underneath the chicken back into the pan. Add mustard and minced tarragon and simmer for 3 minutes.
3) Turn off heat and whisk in creme fraiche or sour cream, stirring until smooth. Turn heat to low, taste and salt/pepper more if necessary. If you would like a thicker sauce add cornstarch mixture to pan and cook until thickened.
4) Add chicken mixture to pan and gently heat over low heat until the stroganoff is warmed through; do not let boil. Serve immediately over noodles or rice. Yield: 4 servings.

Mary....am a big fan of beef stroganoff but now you have make me into a fan of chicken stroganoff too ....looking at your photos makes me drool and I am hungry at the same time :) Thanks for the recipe and I shall try this for our dinner :)

I'll have to try this - it looks delicious. Given the period I grew up, it's not surprising that most of the stroganoff I ate was freeze dried and came out of a box. Time for a fresh revisiting of the dish!

Mary, it is very difficult to travel with people and then you add their food preferences....ouch, bumpy road ahead. Things can get difficult quickly. We've always loved beef Stroganoff, but haven't made it in years. Thanks for the chicken version.Sam

LOL! I love the China story, Mary! People amaze me. LOL! Last year I found a crock pot recipe for beef stroganoff that I have made several times... It brought back lots of old memories! LOL! I still remember the first time I made Beef Stroganoff and felt so sophisticated! LOL!

I will give this chicken one a try, now that I am back on the stroganoff wagon! Blessings ~ Tanna

Hello, my name is Irina, I'm Russian but I live in Italy for many years, I'm always looking for new friends and new recipes from around the world. A pleasure to meet you and your blog. I sign up as your following, and if you want to reciprocate and follow of my blog, I'd be happy! A hug, and the recipes look. . .

Funny commentary from your travel accomplice! I guess you could only really laugh. I didn't know Stroganoff was so popular in the 60s-70s! I have never made it, just had hamburger helper versions growing up in the 90s.

Beef Stroganoff is really good comfort food and I especially like eating it on a cold winter day. I'll have to try your chicken version, it sounds even better than with beef. Thanks for sharing your recipe! :-)

Hi, Mary: Your post made me smile, took me back to my early cooking memories many years ago. One of the things I made often was Beef Stroganoff. I of course used sour cream and it curdled one time. At the time I just thought the sour cream was bad.

I've never had it with chicken and I will confess that I get the urge to have stroganoff once a year. Your version looks heavenly - I have never made it with Marsala - liking that taste in it. Did smile at notion of too much Chinese food ... in China.

One of the best (and also sometimes frightening) parts of traveling is trying new food. Some people love the exotic flavors, some can't stand them! I usually fall into the first camp but I always love returning home to American classics like this. Thank you for sharing your words and recipe tonight. I'm drooling. I hope you have a beautiful day tomorrow. Happy Hump Day!

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